BEAUMONT, Texas – New year, new opportunity. A chance to hit the reset button.
 
Whichever adage one prefers, they both hold true for the Northwestern State men's basketball team as it begins Southland Conference play Saturday night at Lamar. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. inside the Neches Arena, and the game will air on ESPN+.
 
"You have to mentally do that as coaches, for your players," first-year head coach Rick Cabrera said about resetting a mind-set entering conference play. "You transition into seasons. This is the third season. You have the preseason. Then you have the first-semester part of it. Now we're into conference play – the third part of it. The focus and attention to detail has to be 10 times 10, especially in league play.
 
"One thing I've always said is our guys play hard, but the most important thing is the listening and attention to detail. They're getting there. I like where we are right now."
 
The Demons (2-11) are coming off a challenging non-conference schedule that took them to three different time zones and play nine of their first 13 games away from the friendly confines of Prather Coliseum.
 
The latter part of that equation does not change against a Lamar (6-7) team that already is two-thirds of the way to equaling its win total from a season ago. Under third-year head coach Alvin Brooks, the Cardinals enter tonight's game leading the Southland Conference in scoring (82.8 points per game) and in fastbreak points per game (16.8). Both totals rank Lamar in the top 42 nationally in those categories.
 
"I've watched every team in the league play, and they're in my top three of being very impressive," Cabrera said. "They defend. They have great size at each position. They play unselfish basketball. Coach Brooks has done a great job of building his team throughout the years, and it looks like he has it where he wants it."
 
While the Demons spent the first 13 games building cohesion on a roster that included between 13 and 14 newcomers at any time, one of those new faces already has several Southland Conference games under his belt.
 
Junior guard Braelon Bush, who leads the Demons in assists (42) and ranks third in scoring (9.5 points per game), spent his freshman season of 2020-21 at McNeese. During that season, Bush appeared in 14 Southland games for the Cowboys, starting two – one of which came in Prather Coliseum against Northwestern State.
 
In addition to playing a Southland Conference game for the first time since March 9, 2021, Bush will do so close to his hometown of Silsbee, Texas, which lies 27.5 miles northwest of Lamar's campus in Beaumont.
 
"I've got my family coming to support me," Bush said. "It feels great to have everyone who hasn't been able to watch me play since high school be there to support me."
 
Although Bush is expecting to be in the midst of approximately 30 family members and more friends, his focus is not on entertaining as much as it is on taking care of his on-court responsibilities.
 
"It's a blessing to go back in front of my home city, and the start of conference is important, too," he said. "I can love the fans coming, but at this time, it's serious business. We want to go out and get the win. Conference is when you get to start fresh. I can put my pride to the side and focus on my team, going out there with them.
 
"After I can thank the fans for coming, but now, let's go and let's win."